Fascinating Fascinators

If you fancy a fascinator, check out the mad hatting frenzy that went down at yesterday's royal wedding.
Kate has been wearing them all around town and they are a British trend.
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie donned toppers made by London milliner Philip Treacy, a native of Ireland who also topped off other royal wedding guests such as: Victoria Beckham, Zara Phillips and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
Big or small, feathered or floral, fascinators were all the rage at Kate and Wills' royal Nuptuals.

Regal Royalty

 

Time to discuss modern royalty. All I have to say is: WOW!

Kate (the Duchess of Cambridge) and Wills' wedding was a real life fairytale.

Kate wore a gorgeous gown by Sarah Burton, creative Director of British luxury brand Alexander McQueen. I found it very appropriate and appreciated that Kate paid homage to England by wearing a British designer's creation. I have to say however that the dress was soooooooo not McQueen style. Nothing about it said McQueen to me.

I love how Kate mixed old and new and represented a modern twist on the old royal look. The neckline was elegant. She looked very modest but in a glamorous way.

A nice length train (8 feet, 8 inches), not even comparable to Diana's though and a barely there veil.

I loved how Kate wore earrings given to her by her parents, the Middletons (something new) and something borrowed; the sparkly tiara (the Cartier Halo) was from 1936 and was loaned to her by Queen Elizabeth II. 

My boos are for Kate's itsy bitsy bouquet. The flowers looked wilted and were lacking any decadence. I also wasn't a big fan of her hairstyle, the demi-chignon and loose curls were just okay for me. I was expecting something a bit more elaborate and special.

I was totally expecting Kate to wear this type of dress, which is not a bad thing. She looked beautiful and  very elegant. Everything royalty should be. 

And they lived happily ever after...

For those of you who didn't wake up at the crack of dawn (the early wake-up was so worth it), check out some highlights of the Royal Wedding.

                                      

 

Happy Passover!

To all you matzoh eaters out there, enjoy this year's new videos, sure to become holiday classics!

Ferragamo IPO

                               

It was announced yesterday that Salvatore Ferragamo presented its request to list its shares to the Italian stock exchange.

In a statement, Salvatore Ferragamo said that the coordinators for the deal will be Mediobanca Banca di Credito Finanziario SpA and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.  Mediobanca will also act as a sponsor for the operation.

In an interview with Dow Jones Newswires in February, Ferragamo's Chief Executive Michele Norsa dismissed reports of a possible listing in Hong Kong by the company and explained that Italy is key for Ferragamo.


Many of the big players in the luxury fashion industry seem to be making IPO headlines. We have Ferragamo and Moncler's request to list in Italy on one hand and, Prada's highly-anticipated listing, which is expected to list on the Hong Kong stock exchange. It has been said that Prada will list in Hong Kong in order to benefit from the purchasing power in China, and from a lack of directly competing stocks in Hong Kong.

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Coach Files Lawsuit Over Coveted "C" Logo

Coach has filed a lawsuit against Jo-Ann Fabrics based on the fact that the fabric store has made a fleece fabric printed with multicolored Os which are, according to Coach, too similar to their trademarked signature "C" pattern.

According to WWD,  the lawsuit claims that: "the pattern of elongated Os found on the Blizzard Fleece fabric sold by Huston, Ohio-based Jo-Ann, in stores and on its website, has likely caused 'consumer confusion' as it resembles Coach's C trademark."   

Coach discovered the fabric in February and has now filed a lawsuit with charges include trademark infringement, trade dress and copyright infringement, trademark counterfeiting, false designation of origin, false advertising and trademark dilution.

Coach is seeking seeking "$2 million per counterfeit mark, per type of counterfeit good, punitive damages, attorneys’ fees and other costs".

Image A hereunder is of Coach's signature "C" and Image B is a picture from the legal documents showing the Blizzard Fleece fabric sold by Jo-Ann Fabrics. 

I am definitely team Coach on this one. In my eyes Jo-Ann's fleece fabric is an obvious imitation of Coach's trademarked "C" logo. Did the Jo-Ann Fabrics really think that Coach wouldn't eventually get wind of the fact that the Os on their Blizzard Fleece strangely resembles Coach's signature "C"?

Image A

 Image B

Images courtesy of the Coach lawsuit 

Moncler Jumps on the IPO Bandwagon: Luxury is Back!

It was announced recently that Milan based Moncler, the fashionable goose down jacket maker is seeking an IPO (initial public offering). The Italian outwear maker has filed the necessary documents for its forthcoming listing in Milan with the Italian Stock Exchange. With Prada also going public, it seems that luxury is back and the best of the best companies are taking advantage of the economic recovery / high stock prices to get premium valuations. Other recent events that highlight this was LVMH buying Bulgari for a 60% premium and Kinross selling off their remaining Harry Winston stake (btw HW is up 23% since Kinross exited their investment). The question is what or who will be bought out next... Coach? Tiffany? Lulu? Abercrombie? And can potential buyers justify paying additional premiums to current valuations? 

Moncler's company statement announced that the global coordinators of the listing are Intensa Sanpaolo's Banca IMI (also acting as a sponsor for the operation), Bank of America-Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley. 

Moncler's board approved its 2010 results. The company posted a net profit of 52.2 million Euros, up 48% from 35.3 million Euros in 2009 and sales rose to 428.7 million Euros from 373.3 million Euros.

Carlyle, a US private equity fund acquired a 48% stake in Moncler in 2008.

The Female Response to the Hangover: Bridesmaids

May can't come soon enough and I simply CAN'T wait for the Bridesmaids movie to come out!
From the Producer of Knocked Up and Superbad comes a comedy about a wedding, a gaggle of six wildly different thirty-smoething year old women and a bachelorette party in Vegas. 
This movie makes light of the bridezilla in every future bride, the different types of girls who form a wedding party, the typical disaster dresses that most bridesmaids tend to wear and all the typical duties that come with being a bridesmaid. 
Hilarity is sure to Ensue...
Is this the female response to the Hangover that I and so many other women out there have been waiting for? I think So!


Check out the trailer for Bridesmaids coming to a theater near you in May.

Red Soles Sue!

Christian Louboutin who has become famous for creating the signature red soled footwear sued Yves Saint Laurent on Thursday for allegedly ripping off his soles by designing red YSL's with red soles.


The red sole on each pair of Louboutin's have been the designer's trademark since 1992, when the latter applied crimson nail polish to the soles of his creations. The rest is history and each pair of Louboutin's have since hit the pavement with red soles.


The lawsuit claims that YSL's red shoes with red soles "are virtually identical to plaintiff's Red Sole Mark, is likely to cause and is causing confusion, mistake and deception among the relevant purchasing public as to the origin of the infringing footwear."


I don't quite know what to make of all of this seeing as how colours could not traditionally be trademarked. However, Louboutin shoes have become known and identifiable because of their world famous and highly coveted red soles.
On another note, the red YSL shoes with the red soles are part of a collection of YSL shoes wherein each coloured shoe has a matching coloured sole (i.e.: purple shoe and purple sole).


Let's see how this one plays out... 

Don't Mess with Texas!

OPI has released their new S/S collection and has decided to come "home" to Texas for this season's inspiration. Using colours found in nature, the new Texas collection picks up on neutrals (think browns, beiges, greens and blues), but what would an OPI Spring/Summer collection be without their amazing purples, bold pinks, bright oranges and cute corals. I am loving the brights, but it's thumbs down on the greens and blues for me! Six of the twelve colours (Guy Meets Gal-veston, Ya’ll Come Back Ya Hear?, Too Hot Pink to Hold ‘Em, Big Hair…Big Nails, Do You Think I’m Tex-y? and Houston We Have a Purple) have what the company calls "a sorbet finish", meaning that the polish goes on slightly translucent. Your nails are sure to look juicy and sweet, just like your favourite sorbet on a warm Summer's day!  


Now for my favourite part, their names and colours:

LVMH Acquires Bulgari

Earlier today, it was announced that LVMH has acquired a majority stake in Bulgari.

The deal which transfers the shareholdings in Bulgari S.p.A to LVMH was completed last night. 
I for one am very happy for Arnault as he was said to have been slowly courting and wooing the Trapani family, (Bulgari's controlling shareholder), for over ten years. Just last year, the Trepani family said that the company was not for sale.  

What Arnault did next was an interesting move. In the past, LVMH had made most of its acquisitions in cash. I was surprised at Arnault's technique of offering the Trepani family 3.5% of LVMH. The company had never done something of the sort and I think that is what really got the Trepani to finally accept to sell Bulgari to LVMH. All of this means that the Trepani family wants to remain involved in the Bulgari brand and help continue in its success.

For all u finance people, here are the numbers: LVMH will issue 16.5 million shares  for the 152.5 million Bulgari shares (currently being held by the Bulgari family). The Bulgari family will become the second largest family shareholder of the LVMH Group. LVMH will also submit a public purchase offer at the price of $17.18 per share on the shares held by minority stockholders.

Now for the behind the scene details: Paolo and Nicola Bulgari will remain Chairman and Vice Chairman, respectively, of Bulgari’s board of directors; the deal will allow the Bulgari family to appoint two new representatives to the LVMH board of directors. In addition, Francesco Trapani, CEO of Bulgari, will join the LVMH executive committee and will manage the LVMH watches and jewelry division in the second half of 2011. Philippe Pascal, the current head of the division, will remain on the LVMH executive committee in a different capacity.

Jimmy Fallon Does Sweatshirt Time on The Jersey Floor

You MUST watch this video of Jimmy Fallon spoofing the Jersey Shore.

It is hilarious. Leave it to Fallon to do it just right.

Enjoy!

Click here to see: The Premiere of "Jersey Floor" - Show Clips - Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

Galliano No-No!

Hi! Just wanted to update you all on the new developments in the Galliano story which I previously blogged about in THIS article.
Well, now Galliano has officially been fired.
I am so glad to hear that the Dior fashion house acted quickly and that so many have come forward to defend Dior's Chief Executive, Sidney Toledano's decision to sack the designer.
Natalie Portman, the always proud Jew and spokesperson for Dior was one of the first public figures to express her disdain for Galliano's behaviour saying: "I am deeply shocked and disgusted by the video. In light of this video, and as an individual who is proud to be Jewish, I will not be associated with Mr. Galliano in any way."
From a legal standpoint, it is a crime in France to incite racial hatred; the statute has been used in the past to punish anti-Semitic remarks. SOS Racisme, the French advocacy group said that it would support legal proceedings if the accusations were confirmed. 
I cannot believe that someone in the public eye like Galliano would make such remarks, knowing how quickly news travels and how making these kinds of statements would affect his career and his life in the fashion scene. We are after all living in an era where videos get uploaded on the Internet faster than they are even created. 
The video of a man who appeared to be Galliano being caught in the act of making anti-Semitic remarks has recently surfaced on the Internet and here it is:

Bulgari MBA...Sign Me Up

CityAM reports that:

Luxury brands are synonymous with great marketing, so I guess this was only a matter of time. The Italian company Bulgari is now the first luxury company to affiliate itself with an MBA program - the Bocconi business school in Milan to be exact. Students will be able to choose the luxury business specialty and will spend 3 months taking classes at the Bulgari HQ in Rome, including a 2 month project at one of the company's global offices.

The CityAM article goes on to state that:
"It makes perfect sense for luxury goods businesses to get involved with business schools. While many Western businesses have suffered since the downturn, luxury businesses, with their growing market in Asia, have proved resilient. The brands too know that they can no longer rely on domestic markets, but need serious business nous if they want to expand into these newly wealthy regions. This phenomenon cannot have escaped the attention of potential MBA’s either; while once they might have looked for a future in finance or consultancy, these days sunglasses or handbags cannot be considered a frivolous career choice.

Professor Valter Lazzari, director of the full-time MBA at Bocconi, says that with Italy’s reputation in the luxury goods sector it is natural that a school might want to focus on it, and like all industries, the luxury sector has peculiarities. “If you price a candy bar, the higher you price it the worse it is for the consumer, but in the luxury industry the opposite, it gives more value for the consumer.” He says that the Bulgari experience could also interest those who want to work in any area of retail, not just the highest end."

           

                                              

The Hangover, Part II: The Boys are Back in Town

They're back... and the following video is a REAL tease.
The shit is going 2 hit the fan.
The movie's official description reads as follows:
"In "The Hangover Part II," Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and Doug (Justin Bartha) travel to exotic Thailand for Stu's wedding. After the unforgettable bachelor party in Las Vegas, Stu is taking no chances and has opted for a safe, subdued pre-wedding brunch. However, things don't always go as planned. What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but what happens in Bangkok can't even be imagined."
So many unanswered questions....
Why is Alan's head shaved? Why does Stu have a tribal tattoo? Where is Doug?
All things I guess we'll find out on Memorial day 2011.
Can't wait to see what the Wolfpack will do next...

Proenza Schouler: Hard for Most to Pronounce

  Proenza Schouler's Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez | Source: Fashionista


An excerpt from Interview Magazine: Chloë Sevigny interviews Proenza Schouler's Jack McColloughndez:

SEVIGNY: So, for the record, I want to get thepronunciation of Proenza Schouler down right.

McCOLLOUGH: It's Proenza Schouler. So manypeople still say Shooler.

SEVIGNY: It's Schouler, as in late for school. I think people think Shooler is more sophisticated that Skooler.

HERNANDEZ: It's like saying Donna Ka-Ran [laughs]. That's like how my parents said it.

SEVIGNY: My manager, who I've been with for almost 20 years, still mispronounces my last name. He says Seven-yay.

HERNANDEZ: How do you pronounce your last name properly?

SEVIGNY: Seven-e. Like, number seven, letter e.


ALL: Seven-e.

SEVIGNY: We both have such a burden to bear with these names. I was wondering, having this homage to your mother's names as your design name, do you feel any sort of responsibility to your family when doing your work?

McCOLLOUGH: The whole reason why we even picked that name in the first place was that when we started, Barneys had just bought our collection and we didn't have a name. We thought, Hernandez McCollough? [laughs] Doesn't sound so high end, does it?

HERNANDEZ: Proenza Schouler is better. I actually regret it.

McCOLLOUGH: Yeah. One of our biggest regrets is the name of our company.

SEVIGNY: Really?

McCOLLOUGH: It's like alphabet soup. There are so many letters. Even coming up with a font was a mission. We had to do these fine, little letters. We couldn't do strong, bold letters because it would be, like, out to here.

SEVIGNY: I like the initials P.S. Those are my brother's initials.

McCOLLOUGH: We like P.S., too, but Paul Smith has taken it. It's trademarked.

SEVIGNY: Well, they're beautiful names.

Read the rest of the article HERE.

Oscars 2011 Fashion: What Should They Wear?

With the Oscars only two days away, I am wondering what frocks will wind up on the red carpet. I am expecting to see some bright colours, some Oscar, some Marchesa and some Monique. Let's see who shocks, stuns and surprises.
In the meantime, check out some great fashion predictions, right here:
Oscars 2011 fashion: What should they wear?

And be sure to check out these outtakes of the simply stunning Anne Hathaway and that always amazing James Franco.

Galliano Stirs up Some Trouble

According to reports, Christian Dior's designer, John Galliano was arrested in Paris yesterday after allegedly assaulting a couple at a cafe and making anti-Semitic remarks.

              

                                        

Cocoperez.com reported that according to a police source:

"We arrived extremely quickly and managed to break up the disturbance. The man involved was briefly arrested and then released pending charges for assault. Witnesses said he swore heavily, using anti-Jewish insults, before attacking a couple. Both have provided witness statements, as have a number of other people at the bar, including staff."

The source added John would be facing criminal charges and is scheduled to appear in court at a later date.

Dior's Chief Executive, Sidney Toledano later released a statement saying that Galliano would be suspended of his responsibilities pending an inquiry. His statement included the following:

"The House of Dior declares with the greatest firmness its policy of zero-tolerance regarding any anti-Semitic or racist statement or attitude."

All this, 2 days before the Oscars and right before Paris Fashion Week.

Stay tuned...

Joe takes a Fresh bite out of the Big Apple

Looks like Joe Fresh will be selling its affordable fashion in the big apple instead of just near your fresh produce.
Yesterday, Loblaws president Allan Leighton, explained that Loblaws will test the Joe Fresh brand of cheap and chic clothing in NY this Fall by opening their first U.S. store. Four more Joe Fresh stores are slated to open in 2011. The Loblaws' executives will be cautious about the U.S. market and plan to treat the U.S. stores as a pilot project.
Joe Fresh was created for Loblaws by Joe Mimran, the mastermind behind 3 of Canada's tremendous success stories; Alfred Sung, Club Monaco, Caban and now, Joe Fresh.

Clothes Make the Man

Net-a-Porter just launched a male version of its high-end online retailer; the cleverly named Mr. Porter. These fashions are not for the shy guys who want 2 blend in with the crowd. Featuring brands such as John Lobb, one of the classiest brands of mens shoes and boots (owned by Hermes since 1976 and completely handcrafted in Northampton), Lanvin (I love me some Alber Elbaz) and Bottega Veneta to name but a few. The clothes don't come cheap, but they are definitely luxury items. After all, as Mark Twain once said: "Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society."

Courtesy of Mr. Porter

Simply Stunning Style

Style.com's utterly amazing video featuring the Fall 2011 NY Fashion week in a fabulous rainbow coloured nutshell! Enjoy!

Sister, Sister

So, Charlotte Ronson's show was another one that I had the opportunity to work on and let me tell you that I loved every single moment of it!

Kim Kardashian, Russell Simmons, Mena Suvari and Olivia Munn were just a few of the celeb fans in attendance.

The stylish guests bobbed their heads while DJ Sam Ronson (yes, Charlotte's twin sis) played one of my favourite songs, Adele's "Rolling in the Deep". The crowd smiled and pointed at the models, including Charlotte's sister, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, as they sashayed down the runway in their easy breezy and oh-so-cool clothes!
3 sisters, 1 show. Now that's what I call family matters!


Check out the video below featuring CR's amazing cozy and chunky sweaters, the great military inspired looks and the sweet use of prints...

Enjoy Adele's song "Rolling in the Deep" which I can't (and don't want to) get out of my head.

Less Restraint for Chris Brown

Chris Brown sighed in relief as his restraining order prohibiting him from going near Rihanna was lifted in an L.A. court yesterday. 
In short, Rihanna had no objections with allowing the order to be modified to a level one order, so the L.A. Superior Court Judge, Patricia Schnegg approved the order. The judge proceeded to tell Brown: "You can't annoy, molest, or conduct surveillance of the person on the order," The level one order means 21-year-old Brown, and Rihanna, 23, no longer have to stay 10 yards apart from one another.

GO International Re-Run

If you couldn't get your hands on your fave designer collections for Target the first time around, well here's your chance.
Target has decided to re-release 34 dresses from past designer collaborations with Zac Posen, Rodarte, Proenza Schouler and more!
The collection will be available on March 13th at Target.com and in store until April 10th.
Check out the collection and pick out your pieces because their affordable price tags and designer labels are telltale signs that these frocks will quickly be flying off the shelves. Happy Shopping!

Tucker

Tara Jarmon

Luella Bartley

Libertine

Richard Chai

Thakoon

Jovovich-Hawk

Alice Temperley

Tucker

Tracy Feith

Paul & Joe

Thakoon

Richard Chai

Libertine

Rogan

Erin Fetherston

Thakoon

Proenza Schouler

Jovovich-Hawk

Zac Posen

Proenza Schouler

Luella Bartley

Tracy Feith

Tucker

Zac Posen

Jovovich-Hawk

Alice Temperley

Rodarte

Erin Fetherston

Alice Temperley

Libertine

Rodarte

Behnaz Sarafpour